Dr Jon Lamonte, chief executive of Transport for Greater Manchester, and David McNally, community resuscitation manager for the North West Ambulance Service NHS Trust, at Shudehill interchange in Manchester with a defibrillator

Life-saving defibrillators have been installed at every staffed bus station in Greater Manchester.

Bus station and Travelshop staff have been trained to use the equipment – which can help to restart someone’s heart if it stops beating.

Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) has worked with the North West Ambulance Service NHS Trust to install automated external defibrillators at 16 bus stations.

The devices only activate if they can’t detect a heartbeat meaning they can be used safely with very little assistance.

Emergency services have the location of all the devices, which means they can direct any nearby emergency callers to a bus station where a defibrillator is on hand.

Dr Jon Lamonte, chief executive of TfGM, said: “Safety is always at the top of the agenda for our bus stations, and defibrillators really can make the difference between life and death for someone whose heart has failed.

“Fortunately, it’s relatively rare for someone to have an accident or fall ill while travelling, but there are times when our staff are called upon to give first aid and they take this duty very seriously.

“Our bus stations are all in busy areas which means the devices can also be used if there’s a situation nearby.

“I know our bus station teams are delighted to have the defibrillators on the premises, as they can now be confident that if the need arose they could provide that vital extra help to a passenger and potentially save a life.”

David McNally, community resuscitation manager for the North West Ambulance Service, said: “Our aim is to ensure there are defibrillators at as many public locations as possible.

“For every minute a person in cardiac arrest doesn’t have a defibrillator attached to their chest, their chance of survival reduces by 14 per cent. Using the defibrillator within four minutes of collapse gives the best possible chance of survival.

“This joined up working shows the importance in making them available to the public and communities we all serve.”